A spokesman said: “Set in April 1939, an English couple, Peter and Suzy, are living in Provence in idyllic isolation, far, it seems, from the rumblings of the coming war.

“Their peace is shattered from within when Suzy discovers she has been betrayed: Peter is not the man he claims to be. Suzy’s life is thrown into turmoil as the possibility arises that Peter may in fact be a ruthless killer on the run.

“Then a Scotland Yard detective arrives and events become even more complicated and frightening ... Lies, subterfuge and murder make this fast-moving thriller a dark and disturbing roller coaster of bluff and double bluff.”